1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to dental devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for a dental ring typically used in a dental office for installing interproximal fillings in the teeth of human patients, the dental ring having at least one orthogonal protuberance for securing a matrix foil about a decayed tooth.
2. Background Art
The prior art is directed to methods and apparatus for dental rings typically used in a dental office for installing interproximal fillings in human teeth.
A dental cavity can occur at the interface of two teeth where the cavity is actually in one or both of the teeth. This type of cavity is known as xe2x80x9cinterproximalxe2x80x9d and the process in dentistry of filling this type of cavity in one or both teeth is identified as an xe2x80x9cinterproximal fillingxe2x80x9d. The initial steps in addressing the cavity is to numb the relevant nerves and then to create a hole from the top of the tooth with an appropriate dental drilling device until all of the decay is removed. In order to fill the tooth with dental material to replace the decayed enamel that has been removed by drilling, three components were required in the prior art. Those components include (a) a matrix foil, (b) a small wooden wedge, and (c) one of a plurality of dental rings for use in interproximal fillings known in the prior art.
The matrix foil is a thin contoured piece of aluminum metal having a concave shape that is placed between the teeth, i.e., at the interface of two adjacent teeth, wherein at least one of those teeth is decayed. The matrix foil is positioned so that the decayed tooth of interest is captured (or partially surrounded) by the concave shape of the foil. The foil serves to (1) keep the filling material inserted into the decayed tooth from sticking to the adjacent tooth across the interface, and (2) to provide the new dental filling material with an interproximal shape so that after inserted and set, the filling material makes contact with, but does not stick to, the adjacent tooth. This contact feature is important in order to keep food particles from getting caught in the interface between the adjacent teeth which would increase the probability of further decay.
It is noted that a slight xe2x80x9cgapxe2x80x9d exists between the decayed tooth and the matrix foil once the matrix foil has been inserted at the interface between the two adjacent teeth. If just the matrix foil is positioned between the decayed tooth and the adjacent tooth, the gap, although slight, is too wide, i.e., the matrix foil does not fit snugly against the decayed tooth. Under these conditions, the dental tooth filling material will flow into the slight gap. A xe2x80x9cledgexe2x80x9d comprised of the dental filling material is then created that extends into the interface of the adjacent teeth which interferes with proper flossing because the floss catches on the ledge and fails to clean the teeth. This situation creates a plaque trap which can result in further tooth decay. In the prior art, a xe2x80x9csmall wooden wedgexe2x80x9d about the size of the end of a toothpick was positioned between the matrix foil and the tooth adjacent to the decayed tooth. Consequently, in the prior art, the wooden wedge was employed to force the matrix foil as close as possible to the decayed tooth or tooth being restored to close the slight xe2x80x9cgapxe2x80x9d between the decayed tooth and the matrix foil and to eliminate the possibility of forming a ledge.
The third component used in the prior art to fill a decayed tooth with dental filling material was one of a plurality of known xe2x80x9cdental ringsxe2x80x9d. A xe2x80x9cdental ringxe2x80x9d (typically known as a Palodent ring, Garrison ring, or Danville ring) was generally a metal ring having an interruption at one location along the perimeter thereof. The function of the prior art dental ring was to activate a slight separation between the two adjacent teeth (i.e., the decayed tooth and the tooth adjacent to the decayed tooth) to gain access to the filling site (which had already been drilled and prepared for filling), and to restore a contact between the two adjacent teeth. At the interruption or opening on the perimeter of the metal dental ring, a pair of parallel flanges were formed that were orthogonal (i.e., at right angles) to the plane of the dental ring.
Once the matrix foil and the small wooden wedge were positioned between the two adjacent teeth, the dental ring was inserted. Using a pair of manual forceps, the dental ring was forced open at the pair of parallel flanges increasing the inner diameter of the ring. The dental ring was then positioned around the tooth adjacent to the decayed tooth so that the parallel flanges of the dental ring forced the two adjacent teeth apart. The dental rings of the prior art were then anchored beneath the undercut of the adjacent tooth that the dental ring surrounds. The parallel flanges were positioned behind the matrix foil and forced the matrix foil around the decayed tooth. The drilling typically created a box shape for the purpose of receiving the dental filling material. The filling site was then prepared with the proper chemicals. The filling material was then added and hardened and could be overbuilt so that when the matrix foil and prior art dental ring were removed, there would be desirable contact between the restored tooth and the tooth adjacent to the restored tooth.
Some specific examples of the dental rings of the prior art include, for example, the Palodent dental ring. The Palodent dental ring is a heavy dental ring having flat parallel flanges located orthogonal to the plane of the dental ring at the interruption or opening in the ring. One of the problems with the Palodent dental ring is that it tends to pop-off or dislodge itself from the tooth to which it is attached and fall into the patients mouth. This situation creates an obvious hazard to the patient and to the other teeth in the patient""s mouth. Another example of a prior art dental ring is the Garrison dental ring which exhibited a thinner, less robust construction having nail heads located at the end of the parallel flanges. The nail heads at the ends of the parallel flanges were intended to fit underneath the undercut of the tooth of interest for providing a more positive anchor. However, due to the less robust construction, the Garrison dental ring resulted in reduced structural strength.
A further example of a prior art dental ring was the Danville dental ring. The Danville dental ring included two flanges located at the interruption or opening in the plane of the dental ring. The two flanges were not parallel but converged in an effort to prevent the dental ring from popping off or dislodging from the tooth of interest. The ring construction was heavy duty and the converging flanges attempted to grasp the undercut of the tooth of interest. Unfortunately, dislodging of the dental ring continued to be a problem. A problem with all of the dental rings of the prior art was that there were too many component parts. The dental rings of the prior art were always positioned above the small wooden wedge located behind the matrix foil. Thus, the small wooden wedge caused the dental ring to dislodge and strike other teeth. Often it was difficult to position the small wooden wedge for maximum adaptation because the dental ring occupied too much space in and about the tooth to be restored. This problem resulted in an interproximal filling that included a ledge that interfered with flossing and created a plaque trap. Consequently, the small wooden wedge interfered with the proper operation of the prior art dental rings.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a dental ring for use in installing interproximal fillings in the teeth of human patients wherein the invention comprises an integral combination of a dental ring fashioned from heavy spring steel and including a pair of vertical flanges or legs orthogonal to the plane of the dental ring wherein at least one steel protuberance is mounted orthogonal to an interior face of at least one of the vertical flanges or legs for use in securing a matrix foil to the side of the tooth being restored.
Briefly, and in general terms, the present invention provides a new and improved dental ring having an orthogonal protuberance for use in a dental office for installing interproximal fillings in the teeth of human patients. The present invention provides an efficient means by which the dental ring including the orthogonal protuberance is employed for securing a matrix foil about a decayed tooth.
The present invention generally includes an integral combination of a dental ring fashioned from heavy spring steel which includes a pair of vertical flanges or legs orthogonal to the plane of the dental ring. In the present invention, at least one steel protuberance is mounted orthogonal to an interior surface of at least one of the vertical flanges or legs for use in securing a matrix foil to the side of the tooth being restored. This construction reduces the number of component parts associated with known dental rings. This is the case since one of the functions of the protuberance is the same as that of the small wooden wedge, i.e., employed in the past for adapting the matrix foil as close as possible to the tooth being restored. This design results in a more efficient and useful construction.
In a preferred embodiment, the dental ring having an orthogonal protuberance exhibits a construction of heavy spring steel having a pair of vertical flanges orthogonal to the plane of the dental ring. At least one of the pair of vertical flanges includes a protuberance that is orthogonal, i.e., at right angles, to the interior face or surface of the corresponding vertical flange. The protuberance which is formed on the dental ring is also typically fashioned from spring steel and can be wedge-shaped, cone-shaped, triangular-shaped, or semi-circular-shaped. In the preferred embodiment, the protuberance is illustrated as being wedge-shaped. The specific location at which the protuberance is formed on one or both of the vertical flanges is determined by the location of the cavity in and the structure of the patient""s teeth, and the side of the patient""s mouth in which the inventive dental ring is to be utilized.
The procedure utilized in restoring a decayed tooth when employing the dental ring of the present invention includes initially numbing the appropriate nerves in the area of the decayed tooth. Next, the decayed area is removed by utilizing an appropriate dental drilling device for creating a box shape receptacle for receiving dental filling material. The filling site is then prepared with the proper chemicals. Next, the concave matrix foil is positioned between the decayed tooth which is to be restored and an adjacent tooth. The inventive dental ring is then expanded with manual forceps and positioned around the adjacent tooth while the orthogonal protuberance is directed into the embrasure (i.e., triangular gap) between the adjacent tooth and the tooth to be restored. The protuberance forces the matrix foil against the tooth to be restored, closes any slight gap between the matrix foil and the tooth to be restored, assists the dental ring in grasping the undercut of the adjacent tooth upon which it is mounted, prevents the dental ring from popping off into the mouth of the patient, and eliminates the separate wooden wedge required in the prior art.
The present invention is generally directed to a dental ring having an orthogonal protuberance formed thereon for use in installing interproximal fillings in the teeth of human patients in a dental office. In its most fundamental embodiment, the dental ring for use in installing interproximal fillings in teeth exhibits a circular ring comprised of metal which includes a gap formed in the ring for defining a first terminal end and a second terminal end. A pair of downward extending parallel flanges includes a first parallel flange extending from the first terminal end and a second parallel flange extending from the second terminal end where the parallel flanges serve to separate a decayed tooth from an adjacent tooth. Finally, a protuberance is formed onto an interior surface of one of the parallel flanges for securing a matrix foil about the decayed tooth.
In an alternative embodiment, the inventive dental ring includes a circular ring comprised of metal which includes a gap formed in the ring for defining a first terminal end and a second terminal end. Also included is a pair of downward extending parallel flanges having a first parallel flange extending from the first terminal end and a second parallel flange extending from the second terminal end for separating a decayed tooth from an adjacent tooth. In addition, a first protuberance is formed onto an interior surface of the first parallel flange and a second protuberance is formed onto an interior surface of the second parallel flange where the first 1t protuberance and the second protuberance secure a matrix foil about the decayed tooth.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, by way of example.